One More Day
by JustOneLittleProblem
Summary: If you could have one more day with the one you love, what would it be? A day that lasts forever. When time is warping out of shape, and Bad Wolf is the cause, can the Twelfth Doctor save himself and Rose? Meanwhile, Bad Wolf is coming, and, armed with only their wits, the Doctor, Bill and Rose must save the universe from a threat large enough to decimate the Time Lords.
1. Chapter 1: Unwritten

The Doctor learned long ago that even with a sentient timeship, the past remained the past, no matter how much you wished it otherwise. You could visit the year five billion and see the end of the Earth, or become embroiled in the War of 1812. But short of engendering catastrophic consequences, you couldn't bring back the dead, nor fix your mistakes.

And Rose Tyler, the woman he had loved and lost, was most certainly dead, or stranded, alone and lost, in a universe not her own. Even though he could check now, the Doctor couldn't bear to find out. The Doctor shook himself free from his thoughts, and raised a bushy silver eyebrow at Bill Potts, who stood across the console from him, uncharacteristically quiet. "Well? Shall I drop you off back at home?"

Bill glanced at him, and the Doctor could almost hear the cogs turning behind those brown eyes. "It travels in time. So maybe Trafalgar Square, Christmas 2017? I dunno, it just sounds like a good time."

Grumbling until the TARDIS mentally shushed him, the Doctor strode around the console, setting the coordinates. He flipped the dematerialisation switch with a flourish. With the familiar grinding of ancient engines the Doctor had heard thousands of times, the time rotor began to move, and the console room began to sway. Bill grinned, and the Doctor couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. Eventually the motion of the time rotor ceased, and the Doctor checked the scanner out of habit.

Then he did a double take. "June 12th, 2004? What was that for, old girl?"

The Doctor glanced up to tell Bill that Christmas was cancelled. Bill was not there. Nor was she anywhere in the console room. The Doctor let out a chiming Gallifreyan curse, and strode for the doors, throwing them open. He really hoped that Bill hadn't gone far. That girl had an eye for trouble better than Ace's.

The instant the Doctor stepped through the doors, a wall of sound loud enough to temporarily stun even a Time Lord hit his eardrums, causing him to momentarily falter. That roar was the collective voice of the truly enormous mob surging and retreating like the ocean tide, screaming obscenities as they went. The mob had barely noticed the TARDIS or the Doctor, their wrath focused on three huddled figures. The largest one the Doctor instantly recognised as a female Qleyr, the second had Bill's Afro, and the third… The Doctor's hearts sank.

The third was clearly an unconscious Rose Tyler, battered and bruised as she was. Did the universe want him messing up his own timeline? Apparently the answer was an unequivocal yes. The mob surged again, trying to get at the two humans. Someone screamed obscenities referring to Rose's economic status, and Bill's race, and the Doctor had had enough. Apparently the Qleyr had too, as she backhanded a middle aged woman who was attempting to beat Rose about the head with her shopping.

Bill spotted the Doctor, and yelled something that was lost in the roar of the mob. The Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, fiddling with the settings. Then he pressed a button, and a burst of sound erupted from the screwdriver in a deafening pulse. Abruptly the mob broke apart, people running every which way in confusion.

In under a minute, they'd dispersed. A beaky-nosed woman in jeans and a black leather jacket remained for a long moment, staring at the Doctor with palpable menace. Then she stalked off, moving with liquid grace. The Doctor ignored her, moving to scoop up Rose. His last thought before his fingers met soft cloth and denim was that this was all wrong. Time was warping, and the Doctor didn't know if he'd live long enough to find out why.

-•

Bill was _not_ amused. She planned on having words with the TARDIS. Or whatever one had with a telepathic timeship. They were in Trafalgar Square all right, but it appeared to be the middle of summer, and Bill had a sinking feeling that it certainly wasn't 2017. Bill ducked her head, scowling, and followed the Doctor as he carried the unconscious girl into the TARDIS, the dinosaur with too-intelligent eyes trotting after her. Silence reigned until they were inside the console room. Then the dinosaur whirled on the Doctor, feathered ruff flaring and tail lashing.

"Time Lord," it growled in a gravelly, inexplicably feminine voice paradoxically edged with a trill. The Doctor clutched the unconscious young woman closer to his chest, and stood very still, except for the tilt of his head. "I am. Now if you please, I need to get Rose here to the infirmary. Possible brain hemorrhages wait for no one." In his usual grumpy fashion, the Doctor turned around and strode away without waiting for an answer. But Bill couldn't help but notice the way he held Rose like she was made of glass. Or how he'd occasionally glance down at her with something akin to love in his gaze. Bill had never seen him look at anyone else like that. She thought that just maybe, here was someone who the Doctor would kill or die for. The question was, just who was this Rose? Bill and the dinosaur exchanged wry looks.

Then Bill grinned mischievously. "I know a truly awesome game room."

-•

The Doctor ran his sonic screwdriver over Rose's scalp, listening to the quiet, soothing bleeps it emitted, and feeling the rush of information it fed into his central nervous system. The good news was that she didn't have a brain bleed, or a concussion.

Amazingly enough, she'd only been knocked unconscious, and given a few impressive bruises. He could probably thank the Qleyr for that. The Doctor reached out, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Then he stood and left the room, leaving Rose Tyler lying on a hospital cot.

-•

Never play Equate with a dinosaur. Though Bill knew that Kora would probably not appreciate the comparison. Kora was one of the Qleyr, a race specialising in living technology, native to the Kasterborous constellation. Kora slapped down a last tile, sending her points total skyrocketing.

Kora gave her an amused grin that showed off plenty of dagger teeth the size of pocket knives. "I win. Care to try again?"

Bill huffed, and crossed her arms, but a smile tugged at her lips. "Not in a million years. Let's play air hockey or something, and see if you can't rig the system on that?"

Kora grinned unrepentantly, mirth dancing in those rainbow irises. Bill shook her head, smiling, and led the way to the air hockey table. A few minutes later, the thought that had been nagging at her resurfaced. "Did you notice anything odd about Rose - that girl?"

Kora snorted. "Other than the fact that he knows her?" Kora paused to take advantage of Bill's inattention to score another goal, bringing her points total up to six. The machine played a cheery little song that Bill thought was entirely inappropriate. Bill groaned, and thumped the air hockey table until it reset. Kora continued in a thoughtful tone of voice. "Now that you mention it, I could've sworn that I've seen an image of her on Gallifrey itself. But it was only titled Bad Wolf."

Bill wasn't sure she wanted to consider the implications of that, so she seized on another topic. "Earlier you called the Doctor a Time Lord. Is Gallifrey his home world?"

Kora bobbed her head in a nod. Angling her head sideways, multi hued eyes narrowing, Kora began to manoeuvre for another point. Not happening. Bill's eyes narrowed, and she managed to block the puck, and send it careening back into the goal. The Doctor cleared his throat from the doorway, where he leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. Kora and Bill both turned around, temporarily abandoning the air hockey table.

The Doctor gazed at them, face impassive, but his eyes betrayed a storm of unknown emotions. "I need you to keep an eye on her. She'll be waking up soon, and there's something I need to handle."

Bill crossed her arms, staring the Doctor down. "Aren't you gonna tell us who she is, and why you let her on the TARDIS?"

The Doctor turned away, his face brought into sharp focus by the light and shadows playing across it. "Her name is Rose Tyler, and in her future and my past, I lost her."

Bill just stared at the Doctor, astounded by the things left unsaid. Kora's tail swished to and fro, like a cat calculating odds. The Doctor had apparently decided that he had revealed enough, and started walking in the direction of the medbay. Bill, still shaking her head, ran to catch up. Kora strode after them.

-•

The Doctor hunted through the readout displaying the time distortions. It seemed to consist of anomalies involving his timeline and Rose's. All of it was overlaid with a certain signature that could only mean one thing. Abruptly the Doctor couldn't stand it anymore.

He had to know. He scrolled further down the tracery of fire that denoted the intertwined timelines of Rose, the human Doctor, and their TARDIS. There, at the fifty year mark, they all cut off abruptly. The only thing left was the distinctive golden flame of Bad Wolf. Hot tears pricked at the corners of the Doctor's eyes. Now there was no one left to check up on, no way to tell. Had they truly made a fantastic life for themselves, or was it all broken promises and shed tears?

Now Rose was dead, and the means to save her lay cocooned in a white blanket in the infirmary. But the Doctor couldn't. He just couldn't. The Doctor covered his face with his hands, and cried openly for the first time in too long. In the dark console room, in silence disturbed only by quiet beeps and humming, the Doctor let his hearts break all over again.

-•

Rose snuggled luxuriously into the scratchy cotton blanket and lumpy hospital type mattress. Wait a second, Rose thought. Then it all came rushing back, and Rose sat bolt upright, eyes flying open. She hadn't reckoned on the blankets. The obstreperous box-knit blanket decided it didn't want to release her, and, still thoroughly enmeshed in the blanket, Rose toppled off the bed, landing on something warm and alive. Rose and the girl struggled to their feet. The girl was quite pretty, Rose noted, with friendly features, cafe au lait skin, and dark hair. She groaned, touching the back of her head. Rose guessed that was where she had impacted the floor.

The girl grinned wryly. "I'm Bill, by the way. Bill Potts. It's not everyday that one meets a pretty girl, and even less often that she accidentally introduces your head to the floor."

Rose was in the process of unwinding the blanket and formulating a reply when a slightly irritable voice with a Scottish accent cut in. "Hello, Rose."

Rose whipped around to stare at the man leaning against the opposite wall, and the dinosaur next to him. The man was lean, with a wild shock of grey hair, attack eyebrows, and blue eyes that held a maelstrom of emotions. He was dressed conservatively, in plain but expensive Victorian style clothes. The dinosaur was just as she'd remembered, looking like a cross between a giant raptor dinosaur and a technicolor feather duster. Rose chose to ignore the dinosaur, in favour of examining her surroundings and demanding answers. Rose looked around. She appeared to be in a normal hospital room, but the more she looked, the stranger things got. Alien looking machinery poked out of cabinets, and outside the open door… Rose did a double take. Branching out like some bizarre flower, hallways split in every direction. Rose could see a horizon curve on one. Rose whirled on the older man. "What is this place? Why am I here? And how do you know my name?" Rose noted absently that the shrillness of her voice tone was starting to greatly resemble Jackie Tyler's.

She gulped, making an effort to tone it down. Bill put a hand on her shoulder, which Rose was grateful for. The man sighed. "You're on the TARDIS. She's a sentient, telepathic timeship. And as far as why you're here…" he trailed off, and scratched his neck, seemingly lost in a memory. "You saved a lot of lives, and were very important to a lot of people."

Rose snorted derisively. "Yah right. The shopgirl with no A levels." Then some details slipped into place, illuminating the situation. Rose frowned at him. "You knew me… maybe even cared about me. I died, didn't I?" He looked away, swallowed hard. Rose took that for a 'yes'. "Who are you?"

He smiled sardonically, and Rose wondered briefly if that was the only way he knew how anymore. "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord of Gallifrey."

Rose grinned at the Doctor. "Jus' the Doctor?"

A slow, happy grin split his face. "Just the Doctor."

A few minutes later, they ended up in a console room of some sort. The Doctor turned to the dinosaur, while trailing one hand absentmindedly over the console. "Right then, Kora. How does a Qleyr in good standing like you end up on a little backstreet planet like Earth?"

Kora's eye twitched, and she folded her forelegs across her chest in a remarkably human gesture. "I was the emissary for a trade deal. My capsule crashed in Scotland. Then my perception filter failed."

Rose wasn't sure if the Doctor noticed, but somehow something seemed off about her story. The Doctor nodded, eyes sharp. "I take it you want me to drop you off where you left your capsule."

-•

Something was wrong. The Doctor could feel it in his gut, felt the sharp prickles of unease, and saw the increased flashes of gold in his time senses. A pivotal moment was in the works. Kora looked pleased, and rattled off a string of epsilon coordinates. Something about those coordinates seemed familiar. Wordlessly, the Doctor strode over to the console, and began the familiar dance, Rose and Bill trailing after him. He tried not to think about what would come next.

He would wipe Rose's memory, then where would he be? Sending someone else he loved on a one way, all expenses paid trip to their death. That's where. Bill and Rose were talking quietly, but the Doctor barely heard them. He stepped back, watching the time rotor rise and fall in lazy motion, accompanied by the comforting grinding of ancient engines.

Someone touched his arm, and the Doctor looked down to see Rose watching him with concern. "You alright?" she said quietly.

The Doctor smiled at her, glad of her presence, no matter how short lived it might be. The time rotor ground to an abrupt halt, saving the Doctor from choosing whether or not to answer that question truthfully.

Kora inclined her head politely. "Thank you." Then she made for the doors.

The three of them watched the Qleyr go. The Doctor flicked on the scanner, and Bill and Rose peered at the screen curiously. Outside, Kora stood watching the TARDIS. Behind her, a manor house loomed in silent foreboding, its pristine grounds marred only by an empty, smoking crater the size of several cars laid side by side. The Doctor knew that manor house. It was where everything had begun to go wrong.

Bill was staring intently at the crater. "It's empty. Which means…"

Bill trailed off, and Rose took up her thread of thought. "That she wasn't lying about the crash, but somebody was there to clean it up. Maybe she was even in collusion with them."

Bill jabbed a finger triumphantly at the readout. "Maybe she even faked the crash in the first place! After all, she got away without a scratch on 'er."

Rose nodded, warming to the idea. Then she glanced at the Doctor, an appreciative smile on her lips. "And you just gave her the rope to hang herself. In a manner of speaking, anyway."

Then she outright grinned. "And when she starts causing trouble, we'll be there to stop her!"

The Doctor's hearts twisted into unrecognisable knots. "No," he said gently, "we won't be. I will. I'm sorry, Rose, but it's time for you to forget, even if only for another year."

Rose took a step back, tilting up her chin in silent defiance. "Maybe I want to live! Maybe I want to stay with you. I'm guessing time changes itself all the time, but it doesn't rip apart. Won't it heal?"

The Doctor ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and met Rose's gaze. "It might heal, but at the expense of both of our lives, not to mention countless others!"

Rose glanced away, exhaling. Then she looked at the Doctor, eyes intense. "Life is a game of risks. However, I'll leave it up to you. Is it worth it?"

They studied each other for a fraught moment, then the Doctor dared to let the words form. "Yes, it is," he breathed.

Unfortunately for him, timelines live and die on decisions. And the Doctor had just made a pivotal decision, one that could save or destroy him. The moment the words left his lips, the Doctor's time senses whited out, and he collapsed to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2: Rewritten

Rose didn't even have time to be surprised. An instant later, the Doctor crumpled to the floor, unconscious. A sharp pain flared behind her eyes, and everything went black. She dropped to the ground, inert beside the Doctor. And Rose dreamed.

 _Pain was all she knew, but still she poured more of her power into the clash. Dark against light, the golden fire of Time itself crashing again and again against something that simply shouldn't exist. Incandescent tears streaming down her face, she raised a hand._

The TARDIS watched without eyes as the men and women in grey uniforms loaded her and her sleeping passengers onto a waiting truck. She listened without ears as they discussed their plans for her Thief and her Wolf. The TARDIS felt an emotion stirring deep inside.

It was not protective rage. TARDISes were bound not to feel it. After all, a TARDIS might rip the universe apart… or change it. Just as she had. No, she felt the urge to be as much trouble as she could be. Smugly, the TARDIS settled in to wait for the right moment.

For Riley Croft and a handful of other unlucky agents, the dubious fun started when they unloaded the rather unusual craft and tried to open it. Soon every member of the team was nursing first and second degree burns on various body parts.

Including David, who had had the misfortune to make the mistake of kicking the ship. Which Riley had the sneaking suspicion was actually alive and vengeful. To add insult to injury, the ship promptly disappeared, with a feeling like a cheery wave wafting in its wake.

Rose's eyes snapped open, seemingly seconds later. Trying to slow her racing heart, Rose realised that she was snuggled up against something soft. The Doctor's coat… with the Doctor still in it. Rose flushed hot, the unsettling dream all but forgotten in her embarrassment. Never mind that he felt like home in a way no one else had. It still probably wasn't a good idea to wake up wrapped around him like a drunken octopus. A small snore somewhere to her left drew Rose's attention.

Bill lay sprawled out across the floor, right where she fell. Sitting up, Rose reached for her memories with a sigh. Only to find two sets. In both of them, the first eighteen years were pretty much the same, with most of the major differences appearing only after trying to body-shield Kora. In the set of memories that Rose tentatively identified as the new ones, the Doctor hadn't known Rose. Rose wondered how things could change so much with a single decision.

A male voice with a northern accent spoke into her ear, its warm tones wrapping around her like a comforting hug, despite the foreboding evident there. " _An ordinary life. That's the most important thing in the world."_

Rose shook her head, and the feeling and the voice evaporated. Rose might be going crazy, but the voice had a point. Rose made a note to ask the Doctor about hearing voices when he woke up, and got to her feet. Rose wasn't quite sure what she was going to do.

Then, one hand braced on the console, Rose happened to glance at the view screen. Rose's eyes widened. Several men and women were trying to pry open the unseen doors with crowbars. Behind them, two men with dead eyes and large rifles waited.

Outside a panoramic glass window, nighttime London sprawled in all its glittering glory. Rose took a step back, and all but ran over to the Doctor. Gently, she shook his shoulder.

"Doctor, wake up!" Rose hissed. The Doctor roused gradually, his blue eyes bleary for just a second. Then he focused on her, noting her expression.

The Doctor was somewhat alarmed by the fear in Rose's eyes. He quickly got to his feet, instinctively glancing at the scanner. "What's wro-" the Doctor never finished his sentence.

Instead of the foreboding Torchwood manor, he could see the interior of floor fifty seven of Canary Wharf. Hearts stuttering with a fear well nigh ingrained in every cell, the Doctor started the dematerialisation sequence with as much haste as he could safely allow. "We need to leave. Now."

Rose was gazing at the scanner. She glanced up at him in mild confusion. "What's so scary about Canary Wharf? I mean, other than the men with rifles."

The Doctor turned his face away to hide the raw emotions there. Rose studied him thoughtfully. "Did I die there?"

The Doctor let out a gusty breath. The scanner displayed only the indigo and crimson hues of the time vortex. He looked at Rose for a long moment. "It's a long story."

Rose shot him a pointed look. "So tell it to me later." Then she grimaced. "Sorry," she mumbled.

The Doctor flipped a final lever, and the hum of the TARDIS died away. He smiled at her, seeking to ease her discomfort. The Doctor never could deny Rose Tyler anything. "I'll tell it to you after we wake Bill up. Temporal displacement is no joke."

Five minutes later, they all stood in a odd little room filled with various forms of furniture, including a miniature ball pit, and a cybernetic-looking bean bag with various cords sticking out of it. Bill plopped down on the bean bag, and pulled out a cell phone, plugging it into one of the many cords protruding from the bean bag.

Rose gaped at the phone, which was downright bizarre. It was mostly screen, with only one button. The phone lit up, and beeped happily. Both the Doctor and Bill were watching her, the Doctor with amusement, Bill with mild concern. Rose perched on a armchair, resting her chin on her hands, and the Doctor folded his lanky frame across a barstool.

Rose hadn't really considered the idea that Bill might be from her future. But in a time machine, anything was possible. Rose waved a hand at the phone. "What is that phone, and when is it from?"

Bill seemed to give up on worrying about Rose. "It's an iPhone. From 2017."

She turned to look at the Doctor, her smile dropping in favour of a menacing scowl. "By the way, Professor, would you like to explain to us exactly what's going on?"

Rose smiled angelically at him, feeling somewhat amused despite the gravity of the situation. The Doctor glanced at Bill as if gauging her threat level, and seemed to fall into enthusiastic lecture mode. Rose got the impression that he did this quite a bit. "Well then, where to begin?"

The Doctor tapped his chin with an index finger, and grinned. Rose couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. "Ah yes, timelines. Timelines live and die on decisions. Literally. With each choice we make, excess timelines wither away. But the so called 'dead' timelines take some time to wither completely. Most of the time, timelines change, and you never even realise. Unless you're in the eye of the storm, so to speak. Then as the original timeline dies, you'll progressively lose your memory of it. You'll also experience increasingly frequent glimpses of both possible futures. Until finally-" he snapped his fingers. "Like that! It'll all be gone. Nothing but the rewritten timeline will remain."

With a sudden rush of uneasy understanding, it all fit together like puzzle pieces falling together. The dream, that voice. Bill looked equally edgy. "I had this dream. Golden fire, and something that should not be."

Rose felt like someone dropped a bucket of ice water over her head. "But that was my dream. Or at least what I can remember of it."

The Doctor glanced sharply between them, his silvery eyebrows drawing together. "If both of you had the same dream of the same event, then depending upon which timeline it belonged to, we've either dodged a bullet…" he paused, waiting for them to catch on.

Rose and Bill exchanged a fraught glance. "Or," Rose postulated quietly, "we've upped and run straight into it."

Rose was reluctant to ask the Doctor how she had died, but she had to know. "Doctor, how exactly did I die in the other timeline?"

The Doctor had been dreading this question. He couldn't meet Rose's eyes, so he stared down at his knotted hands. "I don't know." The Doctor admitted. Rose stared in shock at him, so he continued. "You got trapped in a parallel universe, along with your mother. Everyone thought it impossible, but you strode parallel to parallel, saw a thousand different realities, even witnessed the death of the multiverse. All to find me. And if you saved the multiverse while you were at it, what of it?"

The Doctor purposely injected a teasing lilt to his voice, and Rose laughed. Then they both sobered. Bill was silent, listening. The Doctor cleared his throat and forged onward. "But somehow I accidentally created a half human version of myself. He could give you what I can't. The ability to grow old with you. The one adventure I can never have." Bill was looking between them in shock, and Rose's sharp mind and ears caught the words he couldn't say, not to her, and not to the Rose who had loved him.

Rose laughed in slight disbelief. "Somethin' to do with being a Time Lord? Never mind." She waved for him to continue.

The Doctor held his breath. Trust was a fragile thing. He'd had too many centuries to rue his choices, but he never thought that Rose herself would be the one judging them. The Doctor forced himself to release the breath he'd been holding, and speak. "So I left you in the parallel universe with your family… and my other self, as well as a piece of TARDIS coral. It was supposed to be a fantastic life." Those last words sounded as hollow and jagged as the way the Doctor felt inside.

Rose's face was flushed pink, and her chin jutted out as she scowled at him. Yet her voice was too calm. "Did you know about the danger?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No."

Rose let out a huff of breath, her scowl lessening. "Don't think I'm not still mad at you," she said, some irritation finally creeping into her voice, "but in this case it isn't your fault." Then she looked him straight in the eye, scowling fiercely. "However, if you ever try to leave me someplace for my own good, rather than because I chose it, I won't be the one dying."

Bill sat back, raising her eyebrows as if to say, _wow, you've only known her twelve hours and you've already driven her to death threats._ If he didn't know enough not to fear Rose, never to fear her, the Doctor might've been intimidated. Rose was formidable, whether she wielded the power of a Goddess of Time, or simply her own ingenuity and a vial of antiplastic.

The Doctor gave them a small smile, folding his hands together. "Fair enough. How does December 21st, 5,000,000,022, New London sound? Bill, I promised you Christmas. I think this is only fair."

Bill blinked. "Not quite Trafalgar Square, mind you, but I wouldn't be opposed." Then a grin spread across her face, and she high-fived Rose.

Rose seemed to consider this for a moment, and she gave the Doctor a happy grin. "A Christmas planet, huh? Lead the way."

Bill leaned against the silvery railing on the balcony in the console room, reading a book, and watching Rose and the Doctor talk animatedly. She missed Heather quite badly, but she was content here. The Doctor was like the grandfather she'd never had, her part time life on the TARDIS was usually exciting, and she liked Rose Tyler already, although she wasn't attracted to her. Which was probably a good thing, Bill thought, considering Rose appeared quite smitten with the Doctor, and he just as much with her. Flipping through the pages of the book, and not really seeing them, Bill wondered just how much it had killed the Doctor to let Rose go.

Bill knew that the Doctor was over two thousand years old. Goodness only knew how long his total lifespan was. To love someone who would be gone in seventy or eighty fleeting years - that had to be the sweetest agony. Just how long had he remembered Rose while she was off living her life with his other self? Absently, Bill grinned. Apparently even a 2,000 year old Time Lord could be an idiot when it came to matters of the heart. Ahem, hearts.

"Bill," the Doctor called, "we're here."

Bill, jerked back to reality, started to close the book. Her eye caught on a captioned photo. The photo showed a tall, curly-haired, hook-nosed man grinning wildly at the camera, his arm around a petite brunette, while a dark haired bloke lurked in the background, looking put out. The photograph was a little odd, but nothing truly out of the ordinary. But the caption was what really got her attention. _The Doctor in his fourth incarnation, with Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan, on the Dalek homeworld, Skaro._ Bill frowned, and closed the book. None of them particularly looked like the Doctor, not even a younger version of him. Maybe 'the Doctor' was a inherited title? Bill put the book down on the little accent table it'd come from. Then she dashed down the stairs, grinning with the familiar exhilaration.

"New London is part of New Earth. New London is actually the tenth permutation of London, which makes it-" Rose listened as the Doctor proceeded to rattle off ten repetitions of 'new' for his captive audience of two. The feeling of warm sunlight surrounded her, and suddenly Rose Tyler was enveloped by a memory.

 _A tall, skinny man with a shock of brown hair and an infectious grin beamed at her. "So I'm still the Doctor?" A flash of grief at those words, but Rose was determined to stay upbeat. "No argument here!" she called._

A stinging snap like a rubber band breaking, and the memory dissipated like so much mist. Rose blinked, and the Doctor's hand abruptly was waving in front of her nose.

"Rose?" Bill asked, sounding somewhat alarmed. "Are you okay?"

Rose nodded. "'M fine. 'S just a memory. A future memory, I think."

The Doctor tried to smile reassuringly, but instead managed a slightly manic grin. "Preja vu. Perfectly normal. Every time you experience it, your memory loss progresses a little further."

Rose smiled sweetly at him. "Sounds lovely," she said with just a hint of sarcasm.

Bill laughed, and the Doctor grinned at her. Rose grinned, nodding to the door. "Shall we?"

Bill and the Doctor exchanged slightly fazed glances. Bill seemed to lose their little silent argument. "Er, Rose. No offence meant, but you look like a botched job at a murder. Maybe you ought to wash up?"

Rose realised she had completely forgotten about the bruises she'd gotten whilst bodyshielding Kora. "Alright then. I'll be back in two ticks. Wait for me?" Without waiting for an answer, Rose grinned at them and pelted down the hall.

It took the Doctor a precious two seconds for it to dawn on him that he hadn't told her where to go. Oh well. The TARDIS adored Rose, even if they wouldn't merge in this timeline. She would tell Rose where to go. Standing in companionable silence with Bill, the Doctor took a moment to riffle through his memories. What he found surprised him.

Apparently Bad Wolf had helped the ripples spread farther than he'd thought. Many of the things he had regretted had never happened. Donna had never lost herself. He had never sent Riversong to her death. Riversong had never been successfully kidnapped, instead growing up on the TARDIS as Melody Pond. Amy and Rory had never gone to their deaths.

However, it seemed that even with the help of a Goddess, nothing was entirely sunshine and roses. Gallifrey stood, rot and creeping darkness beneath the airy spires. Donna had nearly died at Trenzalore, instead being consigned to a fate worse than death.

No, no, no, he couldn't think about that. The Doctor broke from his reverie, massaging his temples with his fingertips. Bill glanced at him oddly. "Is there a problem?"

The Doctor forced a smile. "No."

Bill looked like she wanted to say something more, but the sound of footsteps interrupted them. Rose appeared, moving quickly over. She grinned happily at them, and grabbed the Doctor's hand. The Doctor discreetly gave Rose a once-over. He noted the artful way her makeup, winter coat, and clothes covered the bruises. Then Rose and Bill turned identical joyous, excited grins on him, and the Doctor felt the old, familiar exhilaration.

He smiled at them, gesturing grandly to the doors of the TARDIS. "On New Earth, they've deviated somewhat from the Christmas you're used to. Instead of one or twelve days of Christmas, the people of New Earth celebrate five days of Christmas, from the old winter solstice to what would be December 25th on the original earth. Festivities should be just beginning to wind up. Shall we?"

"Yes!"

"Definitely!" Rose's and Bill's answers were equally enthusiastic. Rose's answer was punctuated by her tugging at the Doctor's hand. Together, they left the TARDIS.

Rose stepped outside, immediately catching her first glimpse of the TARDIS. Her mouth fell open slightly. "It's a police box!" She exclaimed.

Dropping the Doctor's hand, Rose dashed around the police box, examining it from all sides. Rose skidded to a halt, kicking up fine, powdery snow in all directions. Bill watched her with amusement, while the Doctor gazed at her with something that almost seemed like… anticipation? Out in the streets, people were beginning to stare. "It's bigger on the inside," Rose said, to see if her suspicions about how often the Doctor heard that phrase were true.

"It is," he said gruffly, but seemed pleased. Like it was something that the Doctor had grown to anticipate. Turning her attention away from the TARDIS, Rose surveyed her surroundings, even as Bill did the same. It was nearing nightfall, and the purple sky was clear, with the first stars beginning to shine down. Below that sky, a quaint little village sat, with the nearest buildings being brownstones arrayed with brightly coloured awnings. People bustled about, wearing sleek parkas, laughing and talking. Flying cars whizzed overhead, and Rose was amused to note that at least one was adorned with antlers and a red nose. Some things never changed. Rose and Bill gazed at the Doctor expectantly.

"Well," Bill said, gesturing out at the little town, "this looks like a nice little town. Probably not New London, though. When's the alien invasion or other life changing catastrophe? And what do we do in the meantime?"

The Doctor smiled. "Have fun." Then he turned, striding off towards the market square, leaving Rose and Bill trotting after him.

Bill threw up her hands in exasperation as she walked. "Do I have to jog your memory? My girlfriend turning into a sentient puddle, murderous robots, a monster under the Thames, and a crazed Time Lord experiment? No matter the timeline, the TARDIS likes trouble." Now they were getting into the thick of things, Rose was slightly surprised to notice that some of the people had blue skin or feline faces.

The Doctor looked like he was about to respond when Rose, curiosity getting the better of her, butted in. "Was there really a monster under the Thames?"

Bill grinned at Rose. "There was. No clue what happened to her after we turned her loose."

Rose shook her head in slight disbelief. "That isn't the most bizarre thing in the past twenty four hours, but it's definitely up there."

Bill laughed, a happy sound with undertones of irony. "Trust me, it gets weirder."

Rose grinned ruefully at Bill. "I believe you." She turned around to walk backwards, aiming a casual finger at Bill. "Sometime we really ought to sit and swap stories."

Bill was about to respond, but Rose ran into the Doctor, who had apparently discovered his goal, and stopped abruptly. A flurry of snow kicked up as they skittered back and forth, trying to regain their balance. Rose hurriedly turned around to see what the Doctor was looking at. They had arrived at a large brownstone with a giant window displaying several large Christmas trees with red or silver-tipped branches. A sign written in flowery cursive advertised 'the best Christmas supplies in New Cardiff'.

Rose cocked an eyebrow at the Doctor, feeling wryly amused. "Cardiff?" That one word said all it needed to.

Bill snickered, looking between them. The Doctor gazed at her, wounded dignity in every inch of his bearing. Taking pity on him, Rose grinned, and took his hand, headed for the steps at a brisk pace. The three of them ascended the short flight of stairs, and the Doctor opened the door. The door swung open with a cheery jingle, and a rush of warm air and the scent of mulling spices assailed them.

Rose sniffed appreciatively, feeling as if she was six years old again. There were plenty of memories there. One half of the smallish shop was devoted to an array of potted Christmas trees in a variety of sizes, ranging from seedlings to massive trees twelve or thirteen feet tall. Most of them were the standard evergreen green, but just like the trees in the window, some had red or silver tipped branches. Rose wondered about that, and resolved to ask the Doctor later. The rest of the store was filled with a dazzling assortment of Christmas crackers, decorations, and food.

Next to the single granite countertop that seemed to serve as a checkout counter, a tall, thin woman with feline features lounged, watching them carefully. A pitcher of steaming cider sat on the counter amidst a small army of cups of an unidentifiable material. The Doctor was the first to speak. "Would you mind recommending a Christmas tree and some Christmas crackers? A starter kit, if you will."

The woman squinted at the Doctor, as if trying to place him. Apparently not able to, she gave a incremental shrug, and answered in the falsely chipper, I-am-so-done voice of overworked, underpaid retail workers everywhere. "Sure. Gimme a second."

Fifteen minutes later, they left with a package of something that the sales clerk had called 'psychic Christmas crackers', as well as a skinny, potted fir tree about as tall as the Doctor. The Doctor painted quite the ridiculous picture, with his normally pristine black coat striped with branches still attached to a living tree, and flecked with sap. He might well be picking pine needles out of his teeth if he smiled.

Outside, a chill breeze wafted, playing idly with the fine snow. Dusk had come and gone, leaving an inky sky full of stars. City dweller that she was, Rose had rarely seen so many stars. She smiled up at the stars, and chose one at random. Someday very soon, she'd see them all.

Sherri watched discreetly from the safety of her shop doorway as the Doctor and the two other unusual off-worlders meandered their way back to the south end of town. She'd once met another being called the Doctor, and the experience was something that one did not easily forget. A mob influenced by alien technology had trashed her shop, but the Doctor and his friend Donna had saved her life.

The two Doctors looked markedly different, but Sherri had never forgotten those eyes. Those eyes were equally at home in either face. Both were ice blue, full of infinite wisdom and pain born of more lifetimes lived than she could easily comprehend. Sherri leaned out a tad further, and caught a glimpse of the three of them getting into a large blue box. Those blue eyes swung around, and Sherri leaned back. As she slipped back into her store, Sherri could almost sense a storm coming.

Bill watched as the Doctor unwittingly unlocked the door to the TARDIS, unaware of the danger currently taking the form of Rose Tyler rolling a snowball. Rose straightened with a wild grin, whiskey eyes dancing with merriment… and hurled the snowball with perfect accuracy at the back of the Doctor's head. The somewhat sticky lock clicked at the same moment the slightly slushy snowball splashed across the back of his head.

The door swung open, and the Doctor turned around, ice blue eyes narrowing as he took in Rose's snow-covered hands. Abruptly the Doctor grinned, an expression of joy and mischief. A second later, all hell broke loose.

Bill would later reflect that it was probably a very good idea that the Doctor had placed the Christmas tree out of the way while unlocking the TARDIS. They were both scrabbling in the snow, artlessly throwing clumps of snow at each other. This gave Bill a few seconds of grace. Grinning, she bent down to gather her frosty ammunition.

Bill pelted both Rose and the Doctor with snowballs, drawing laughter from both of them. Rose put her hands on her hips, trying to appear stern, and failing miserably. "Whose team are you on, anyway?"

Bill grinned at her, and landed a snowball in the Doctor's collar, eliciting a surprised exclamation. "My own. Care to form an alliance?"

Rose shared a cheeky grin with her. "Deal." What followed was a full-scale snow war.

Eventually, they staggered into the TARDIS, Bill and Rose giggling, the Doctor grinning. They were all sopping wet, covered in snow, and the Doctor guessed that the two humans were cold.

The Doctor set down the tree and the Christmas crackers in a corner of the console room, and smiled at them. "I know I had some hot cocoa mix lying around. Why don't I go find it while you two get dried off?"

The copper-and-glass wardrobe room stretched overhead, seemingly for miles. A spiral staircase grew almost organically from the centre of it, branching out into catwalks to connect the various layers. Rose and Bill, now freshly dressed, sat swinging their feet on a catwalk hundreds of feet in the air.

If Rose had ever been afraid of heights, this might've been terrifying. But there was something immensely comforting about being here. It was like Rose _belonged_ here. And there was something that Rose hadn't taken the time to notice before; an immeasurably alien melody, both sorrowful and thrumming with joy. Rose listened for a long moment, then glanced at Bill out of the corner of her eye, while playing with a strand of her damp hair. "Did you hear that?"

Bill watched her, slightly wary. "Hear what?"

Rose was a little alarmed now. What if the timelines changing had scrambled her brain somehow? Trying to appear careless, Rose waved her hand, while chewing somewhat anxiously on her lip. "'S nothing."

Bill looked unconvinced. Rose decided it seemed prudent to change the subject. Rose glanced over at Bill. "Tell me about the Doctor."

Bill pursed her lips thoughtfully, tipping her head to gaze at the invisible ceiling. "I know about as much as you do. He's a Time Lord, around two thousand years old, he's got two hearts, and when he's not travelling all of space and time, he works at a university as a professor." Bill glanced around as if to see if anyone was listening, then leaned in to whisper. "And I think the Doctor's guarding something. There's a vault under the school, I saw it while mucking about. I checked the records, he's been there more than a half a century."

Rose frowned, twisting the little beaded ring on her finger. "What d'you think the Doctor is guarding?"

Bill shrugged. "I don't know, but it must be dangerous enough that no one can have it. A weapon maybe?"

A warm, amused female voice whispered three words into her ear. _The final sanction._ Rose flinched. Then an idea occurred to her. "Hey Bill, the TARDIS is sentient, right? Do you think it's possible that she could speak to someone? Hypothetically."

Bill did not appear fooled. She frowned at Rose. "Spit it out. Metaphorically."

Rose tugged at a stray lock of hair, thinking about how best to phrase it. "First I heard this song, and it was truly bizarre. Really alien, it was. But also beautiful. Then it was as if someone spoke in my ear, right about when you mentioned that he might be guarding a weapon."

Bill gazed at her, as if measuring the odds. Finally, she said, "What did she say?"

Rose thought about the potential meaning of those words before responding. "The final sanction."

Bill whistled softly. "That certainly sounds like a weapon. Do you think the TARDIS or whoever that was, just gave up the Doctor's big secret?"

Rose stared at a horrifically loud coat across the way, thinking. "Maybe."

In the shiny silver console room, the Doctor stared somewhat disbelievingly at the three mugs of hot cocoa, wondering when he'd so thoroughly broken his own rules. No food in the console room. No dripping meltwater everywhere. No breaking the laws of time to save a human.

The Doctor smiled slightly. Well, the last, at least, found a precedent in one Charley Pollard. Charley was the most extreme example, other than Rose. But you could say that the Doctor found his stock and trade in breaking the laws of Time and saving people. The Doctor caught the sound of footsteps, voices, and laughter.

The Doctor waited a few moments, and Bill and Rose appeared. The Doctor put the three mugs of hot cocoa on the bin of Christmas decorations, and lugged the tote down the stairs to the main part of the console room. He set down the tote, and offered the two cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows to Bill and Rose.

They gratefully accepted, taking sips. The Doctor picked up his own cup, smiling slightly. He glanced over at Rose and Bill. "Perhaps we should decorate?"

Rose had noticed the lack of marshmallows in the Doctor's mug, and now they were playfully bantering. Bill glanced away, a feeling like someone beckoning drawing her towards the upper balcony.

She wandered up the stairs, uncertain as to what she'd find. Something shimmering into view on an accent table caught her attention. She picked it up, and grinned. This would be the best Christmas prank ever.

The Doctor and Rose had since finished off their hot cocoa and set the dregs aside. Now they were talking quietly, and there was a warm feeling spreading through Rose's chest. Happiness. Something moved at the edges of her vision, and Rose looked up, frowning. "Is that… _mistletoe on a stick_?"

The Doctor looked up too, seemingly equally perplexed. The Doctor grumbled. "Sure as hell looks like it."

He thumped the console, yelping in pain when it sizzled. "Cut that out! I know perfectly well where that ridiculous thing came from."

Rose stared at him, wide eyed. "The TARDIS got ahold of it?"

The Doctor's lips quirked up in a ironic smile. "Yes, she did. Some shopkeeper somewhere is most likely scratching his head over the loss of his inventory."

Rose tilted her head thoughtfully, an idea occurring to her. "Might as well make use of it."

The Doctor looked at her, staying very still. _He's waiting for me to make the first move,_ Rose realised. Rose took a step closer, tracing her fingers over the lapels of the Doctor's coat.

He leaned into her touch, and for once the expression on his face was open, and fraught with various emotions. Rose leaned in… and the stillness of the moment shattered a with a loud klaxon.


End file.
